Head coach

A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as association football and professional baseball, this role is referred to as the "manager," while in others, like Australian rules football, it is called "senior coach."

The head coach typically reports to a sporting director or general manager. In professional sports, where senior players are full-time employees under contract, the head coach often functions similarly to a general manager. Other coaches within the organization usually report to the head coach and specialize in areas such as offense or defense, with further subdivisions into specific roles like position coaches.

In youth sports, the head coach often serves as the primary representative of the coaching staff, managing communication with parents and overseeing the overall development of young athletes.

American football

Nick Saban was the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2007 to 2023.

For articles on position coaches, see Category:Coaches of American football.

Head coaching responsibilities in American football vary depending on the level of the sport.

High school football

As with most other head coaches, high school coaches are primarily tasked with organizing and training football players. This includes creating game plans, evaluating players, and leading the team during competition, deciding how the team is lined up, or their formation.

High school head coaches also have a variety of responsibilities beyond the football field. These include recruiting students within the school, scheduling opponents, and training/hiring/leading lower-level coaches. Coaches can also release or suspend players on their team for various reasons. Most coaches hold another position within their program's school, typically as a teacher. High school football coaches are typically required to have at least a bachelor's degree. Many coaches choose to earn a degree in physical education or sports management. Coaches will often preside over both a varsity and junior varsity team, but it is common for an assistant coach to handle the primary responsibilities of the junior varsity team.

College football

One of the major features of head coaching in college football is the high player turnover rate, which is how many players change teams, via the transfer portal, or getting drafted/graduating. It is currently averaging about 18% each season.

Head coaches at the college level have a paid staff and can concentrate on the overall aspect of the team rather than dealing with the nuances of training regimens and similar activities. Unlike head coaches at other levels, college coaching staff are solely responsible for the roster of players on the team. The ability to recruit top players plays a major role in success at the college level, and is done, in most cases, by the head coach or head recruiter.

A college coach acts as the face of a team, in a sport where the players regularly depart after a few years, compared to some coaches who have been in the same position for over a generation. They are often called upon to discuss off-the-field incidents such as rule infractions or player antics.

In a majority of states, the head coach of a public university's football or men's basketball program is the highest-paid state public official.

Major annual coaching honours given out at the end of the year include the Home Depot Coach of the Year, the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, the Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award, and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award.

National Football League

See also: List of current National Football League head coaches

Bill Belichick was the head coach of the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2023.

At the professional level, head coaches often earn several million dollars a year, although there is considerable overlap between the salaries paid to top-earning college coaches and the range of salaries paid to head coaches in the National Football League. Since they do not have to travel the country recruiting high school players, head coaches at the professional level have much more time to devote to tactics and playbooks, which are coordinated with staff who are typically paid even more than at the college level. They typically report to the general manager.

A massive factor that affects NFL coaches salaries is the NFL's $11 billion earnings, making it the highest revenue sport, exceeding Major League Baseball's (MLB) $7 billion. The NFL's coaches are among the highest-paid professional coaches with professional football salaries topping a 2011 Forbes article on the highest-paid sports coaches.

Another major element of NFL coaches' contracts, negotiated between individual coaches and NFL teams/owners, are NFL-demanded provisions in the employment contracts of coaches that authorize the employing NFL teams to withhold part of a coach's salary when league operations are suspended, such as lockouts or television contract negotiations.

Salary

As of 2023, the average annual salary for a head coach in the National Football League is approximately $6.6 million annually. The salary for an NFL head coach can range from $5 million to over $18 million per year. As of 2024, the highest paid NFL head coach is Andy Reid, the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Association football

See also: Manager (association football)

Arne Slot, head coach of Liverpool F.C.

In association football, a head coach has the same responsibilities as in any other sport. For instance, in European countries, a head coach usually picks their coaching staff. The main difference is a head coach usually works with a director of football, with the latter responsible for player recruitment and negotiating contracts. In the United Kingdom, these roles are sometimes combined in the position of manager.

In some countries, an individual may be granted a position as a senior coach and act as the first assistant to the head coach or run a junior squad in the club. In the absence of a head coach, a senior coach can temporarily take over as an interim head coach (or caretaker manager).

Australian rules football or AFL

Alastair Clarkson, head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club

In Australian rules football, the head coach, or senior coach, is responsible for developing and implementing appropriate training programs for his players. The senior coach in the AFL is also responsible for determining the rotations and team lineups for each game. Moreover, the coaches are not the only ones involved in team operations, as in AFL teams, up to five different coaches may have their unique responsibilities. For example, there can be a forward, a midfielder, and a defense coach, each focusing on a particular position. Thus, each coach works with players in those positions.

Rugby union

Rugby football union clubs have the option of employing a director of rugby (DOR), a head coach, or both. The responsibilities for each role vary between clubs. Generally, if a club decides to employ either a DOR or a head coach, it will hold more responsibility than if it employs individuals for both roles. It has been proposed that the DOR is a club-wide position, providing and ensuring the club is working towards a shared philosophy from youth teams to senior teams.[14][15] A head coach, on the other hand, is focused purely on planning and implementing coaching for the first team alongside a coaching staff consisting of a mixture of defense, attack, forwards, backs, skills, and strength and conditioning coaches.

Basketball

National Basketball Association

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the head coach is responsible developing game plans, scouting opponents, and managing players.

Baseball

Youth Baseball

In Little League, or other youth levels of baseball, the manager is responsible for teaching players technique and rules, organizing practices, choosing the lineup and starting pitcher. Oftentimes, the manager is a parent of a child on the team.

High School Baseball

At the High School level, there is a varsity and junior varsity level. The manager of the varsity team is the head of the school's baseball program, yet he does not manage the junior varsity team, as that is left to another coach in the program.

College Baseball

At the college level, the manager is responsible for recruiting high school players to their university, setting the lineup and starting pitcher, making day-to-day decisions, and other choices. They do not teach and train players, that is left for younger levels and assitants, but they are the head of the program.

Minor League Baseball

In Minor League Baseball (MiLB), the manger is responsible for setting the lineup, pitcher, and making substitutions. It is similar to the Major Leagues. They prepare players for the major leagues and higher levels.

Major League Baseball

In Major League Baseball (MLB) the head coach, called the manager, is responsible for setting the lineup, choosing the starting pitcher, making substitutions, and supporting his players (often by arguing with the umpire). The manager will often make these desicions based on matchup, or platoon, advantages. Managers are often responsible for training players at lower levels, but specified assistant coaches are given that job at the highest level.

Cricket

Role

To manage players treatment, rehab, recovery and fitness sessions, depending upon the needs during national cricket team's engagement.

Australia Cricket Team

Andrew McDonald is the current head coach of Indian Cricket team.

Indian Cricket Team

Gautam Gambhir is the current head coach of Indian Cricket team.

Pakistan Cricket Team

Aqib Javed is the current head coach of Indian Cricket team.

Sport of athletics

American track and field

For articles on position coaches, see Category:American track and field coaches.

Head coaching responsibilities for American or USA Track & Field vary depending on the level of the sport.

College track and field

Bill Bowerman was an American track and field coach for the University of Oregon and co-founder of Nike, Inc.

Bill Bowerman was an American track and field head coach for the University of Oregon and co-founder of Nike, Inc.

American Distance Running

For articles on long-distance runners, see Category:American male long-distance runners.

For articles on long-distance runners, see Category:American female long-distance runners.

Head coaching responsibilities for Long-distance running vary depending on the level of the sport.

College Cross Country

At the college or University level, Cross-country running head coaching responsibilities vary widely depending on the program's budget and staffing.

See also

• Coach (sport)
• Coach (basketball)
• Manager (baseball)
• Category:Women's association football managers
• Category:Association football coaches
• Manager (association football)
• Category:American soccer coaches
• Category:American expatriate soccer coaches
• Category:American women's soccer coaches
• Coach (ice hockey)
• Coaching tree
• Athletics director
• Strength and conditioning coach
• Category:Sports coaches
• Category:American sports coaches
• Category:American track and field coaches
• U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
• Category:Athletics (track and field) coaches